Profiles in Volunteerism: Firefighter Bryan Evans

Editor's Note: We're interested in profiling volunteer firefighters from throughout the Saucon Valley. If there's someone you'd like to nominate for this regular Patch feature, send an e-mail to Josh.Popichak@patch.com.

Name: Bryan Evans

Age: 26

Lives: Lower Saucon

Family: Wife, Dog

Job: Paramedic at St. Luke’s Hospital, Lieutenant

Fire company:

Training so far: Firefighter 2, Paramedic, Hazardous Materials Technician, Rope Rescue, Water Rescue, Vehicle Rescue, Incident Command

What's it like being a firefighter?

“It’s fun. I started working in an ambulance when I was still in high school when I was 15 years old. Basically, for my whole adult life I’ve always done it. I started volunteering at a very young age so I don’t really know what I would do if I didn’t do this. It’s just kind of part of me.”

How do your loved ones feel about you putting your life in danger?

“They’re very supportive. I’ve been doing it since before I met my wife. She’s also an EMT and she works in the Emergency Department so she gets it. She understands. I don’t think my mom has ever really liked it.”

Tell us a story you'll never forget about your firefighting experience.

“We got dispatched for an animal rescue one day. We got there and it was a puppy that had his paw stuck in one of the floor heating and air conditioning grates. We were able to break it apart and get its paw out. There was a teenage girl that was there by herself. Her neighbor came over and stayed with her but there was nobody to take the dog to the vet. So, the chief and I took the dog down to the vet and were able to get him seen. I’ve always been a dog lover so it was neat to be able to help out that dog.”

What would you tell people interested in joining your fire company?

“Come on down. We’d be happy to get an application for you. We can definitely use some more help so we encourage everyone to try it once. There are a lot of options other than firefighting. I mean, yes, we always want more help to go in on fire calls with us and put the fire out and get people out of cars that have been in accidents, those kinds of things. We can use a lot of other help, whether it’s just helping around with maintenance around the station. People who just want to drive--that’s an option, too. We can get them vehicle operation training and train them to use the pumps as well. It’s not an all or nothing thing by any means. We’re looking for fire police as well, who help us with traffic control issues. Anybody with any skill set, we’ll be happy to take. Any time you can give us and the community is great."

For more information about Se-Wy-Co Fire Company and how to become involved as a volunteer, visit www.sewyco-fc.org.